On Demand Water Heaters

[mimitabby]

yes, miss tinyhouse (please explain your name please!) i think there will be a bit more waste of water. But I just got done with my very first insulation job!! (cough cough) I insulated the wall where the pipes are that feed into the heater and back out. Next I will insulate the pipes themselves. All we had was exterior wall and studs, no wonder it's cold.

I also insulated underneath my bathtub. i can't wait to see how much of a difference that might make. that tub has always been cold!
now soon as i quit itching and coughing, I'll be a happier camper. (I wore a kerchief over my face and safety glasses.)

[tinyhouse]

Wow Mimitabby it sounds like you did a great job of insulating. Our old Victorian was built in 1897 - so I think insulating pipes probably would have helped us too had we gone that route. Hope the coughing goes away soon!

tinyhouse refers to both our small victorian and our dream to own a tiny tiny house someday (preferably one that we build out of strawbale) which we hope to locate on a little tiny piece of land

[mimitabby]

oh how wonderful to have a house that old. We are fortunate to have a 1957 craftsman (i think) it was built VERY VERY well, but it does not have much character, which I am SURE yours does.

[tinyhouse]

Actually, it doesnt have as much character as you would imagine - the previous owner did a remodel and left out period detail. I love craftsman homes!

[mimitabby]

Well, I got the clothes into the gas clothes dryer and stepped into the tub and drew a bath. I really couldn't tell if the tub itself felt warmer because of my insulation job, (I think so) or if it was just my imagination. I had a nice hot bath. Meanwhile, the heat came on (also gas) and at that point, DH came and took his shower. He had plenty of hot water too.
I was quite pleased.

[tulip]

I lived in an apartment for seven years in North Carolina that had solar hot water panels on the roof for heating water and a booster gas hot water heater. It was a very good setup. We never ran out of hot water, and our bills were very low because most of the heating came from solar.

Just another way of thinking about these things.

Tinyhouse: I am very interested in tiny houses, and in fact gave a presentation last year about them to a bunch of architects. I'm buying a tiny condo, and I'm excited yet a bit wondering about living in such a small place. It'll be like a Airstream or a ship--a place for everything (which is not too much, by choice) and everything in its place. My tiny Bike Friday will fit in well. It's nice to know that you are into tiny houses, too!

[mimitabby]

Oh, I'd love to have solar power. But in the winter in Seattle that would be a joke. Too bad there isn't cloud power!